Mining machine



May 5, 1925.

' T. E. PRAY MINING MACHINE File'dAug. 4, 1921 NN l J\ lsIVENToR 729,1

Mamas BY M2 ATT?" Patented May v5, 1925.

UNirEDxsTjATEs Pa'isrrrN clasica.v

THOMASE. PRAY, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, .ASSIGNOR TO' GOODMAN M ANUFACTURING COMPANY, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, A' CORPORATION OF ILLINOIS."

MINING MACHINE.

i Appiicatimi ined Augusta, 192i.. seriai No. 489,763.

" To allwhom t may concer/lt.'

Be itr known that I, TI-IoMas E. PRAY, a citizen of the United States, residing at Chicago, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, have invented an Improvement in `Mining Machines, of which thelfollowing is a specilication.

This invention relates to attachments for mining machinesof the classadapted to be movedalong a mine wall to ycut a horizontal kerf; rIhe object of this invention is to provide an improved lsupport for mining machines of the class described whereby the kei-f may be cut in a plane somewhat higher than the normal cutting plane of such machines. i

The invention` may best be understood by referring tothe drawings in which Figure 1 is a plan view ofthe support with the mining machine removed therefrom, and having a portionof the top plate broken away.

Figure 2 is a view showing the support in longitudinal section, with a mining machine mounted thereon, and shown in full linesin their lowermost position.` In this figure theysupport and mining machine are alsol shown in dotted 3outlines to indicate their fully raised position.

FigureV 3 is a detail view of the lifting jack, partly `in cross section.

Coal mining machines of the .class described are usually moved along the face of the mine wallby` means of a flexible draft device anchored at a distance from the ma chine.. One of such machines is illustrated in the drawing, and comprises a body portion A, containinga motor and operating mechanism,r and having a cutter bar B, adapted to cut the kerf at or near the bottom of the seainor vein of coal, and a power operateddraft device C, associated with a suitable winding drum vI).

Inmining coal it is often found desirable to cut the kerf along a seam of dirt or other foreign Imaterialabove the normal cutting plane adjacent the mine floor. Furthermore, the dirt seam may be of variable height so that itis desirable to change theheiglit of the cutter bar while making the cut.

In thepresentinventionIprovide a support which-may be attached `to the bottoni of the main frame A of the mining ma `chine byany suitable means, such as bolts by two pairs of pivoted supports' 6, 6 and i 7, 7 at opposite `endsthereof and arranged to, maintain said upper and lower members in parallel relation with each other. Said bottoni plate 5 preferably has its side mar-` gins 8, 8 and end margins 9, 9 curved ripwardly as shown so as to readily pass over the mine floor without accumulating loose material thereon. e

Means for raising'andlowering the support comprises a link 10 pivotally connected at one end to the top plate 11, and at the other end to a movable head 18 of a Aratchet device, such `as a lifting `jack 11 lying hori- Yontally.` on the bottom plate 5 and having its foot 12`engaging the rear margin 9 of said' bottom `plate.` Said` jack may Ibe of any approved pattern, and mayA bel secured in place by any suitable means such as a clamp 1-1 attached to the" bottom yplate The pivotal connection of the lower end of the arm 10 and the movable head 13 com-` `to bear against the bottom plate 5. A chain 22 is provided to limit the upward move ment` of the top plate t. f

Means are provided for assisting the initial y upward movement of the link 1U which means comprises a pair of longitudinally disposed members `17, 17 connected together at one end by a cross piece 19, and having hooked ends 18, 18 adapted to engage pivot pin 13a of said link. A stop 2() vis attached to the bottom plate 5 by means of suitable rivets 20, 20a, anda pair of springs 21, 21 are interposed between said stop and the cross member 419 connected with the bars 17, 17. rIlhe said bars are arranged to have a limitedhorizontal movement between side plates 1G, 16 so that the hooked ends 18, 18 engage the pivot pin 13?"L of link 10 only when the topv plate 4 is at or near its lowermost position. Whe-n said upper plate 4 is in its lowermost position shown in full lines in Figurev 2, the springs 21, 21 are under compression, and tend yto i counteract the ,weight of the support and the machine thereon, thereby providing a shock absorber to cushion the downward movement of the support when the jack is released. The springs 21, 21 assist the jack in raising the `support and machine from its lowermost position when the link 10 is nearest the horizontal, and the maximum amount of horizontal pressure from the jack is required in order to raise the support. Vhen the head 13 of the jack 11 is actuated in raising the support the hooked ends 18, 18 of arms 17, 17 move therewith until the limit of movement of said arms is reached. Thereafter, the hooks 18, 18 become disengaged from the pivot pin 13a, but remain in position to receive the pivot pin when the support is again lowered.

By means of the device above described, a mining machine may be raised or lowered asdesired. The machine and support require a minimum overall height, so that they may be transported from place to place as a unit under a low roof in the usual manner.

Another advantageous feature of my device is the arrangement whereby the mining machine may be raised from its lowermost position by its own power. This is accomplished by anchoring the power driven draft rope C in advance of the machine and support, so that when the rope is Wound in, the plate carrying the machine will be swung upwardly and forwardly about the pivoted links 6, G and 7, 7 into raised position as shown in Figure Q.

Having described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to cover by Letters Patent, is

1. In combination with a kerf-cutting element having` power actuated flexible draft mechanism mounted on and movable therewith, a. support for said element, and means onsaid support adapted to coact with said draft mechanism for elevating said element.

2. In combination with a kerf-cutting mining machine having power actuated draft mechanism, a support for said machine and means on said support comprising two pivoted parallel members adapted to coact with said draft mechanism for elevating said machine.

3. In combination with a kerf-cutting` mining machine having power actuated draft mechanism, a support for said machine, means on said support adapted to coact with said draft mechanism for elevating said machine, and spring means attachedto said support to assist the initial upward movement of said support.

4. In combination `with a kerf-cutting` mining machine having power actuated draft mechanism, a support for said machine, means on said support adapted to' cofact with said draft mechanism for elevating` said machine, means for holding said support in elevated position, vand spring means adapted to retard the downward movement of said support.

5. In combination with a kerf-cutting mining machine, a support for said machine comprising two members movable vertically with respect to each other, elevating mechanism on said support comprising two 'pivoted parallel members, a horizontally disposed ratchet device, mounted on one of said movable members, and a pivoted link connecting said ratchet device with the other movable member.

6. In combination with a kerf-cutting element having power actuated draft mechanism mounted on and movable with said cutting element, a support for said element adapted to coact with said draft mechanism for elevating said element, and means limiting the elevating movement at a predetermined position. w

7. In combination with a kerf-cutting mining machine, a support for said machine comprising two members movable vertically with respect to each other, elevating mechanism on said support comprising` two pivoted parallel members, a horizontally disposed ratchet device mounted on one of said movable members, a pivoted link connecting said ratchet device with the other movable member, and spring means attached to said support to assist the initial upward movement of said support.

8. In combination with a kerf-cutting mining` machine, a support for said machine comprising two members movable vertically with respect to each other, elevating mechanism on said support comprising two pivoted parallel members, a horizontally disposed ratchet device mounted on one of said movable members, a pivoted link connecting` said ratchet device with the other movable member, and spring means adapted to retard the downward movement of said support.

D. In combination ,with a kerf-cutting mining machine, a support for said machine comprising two members movable vertically with respect to each other, elevating mechanism on said support comprising two pivoted parallel members, a horizontally disposed ratchet device mounted on one of said movable members, a pivoted link connecting said ratchet device with the other movable member, and means limiting` the elevating movement at a predetermined position.

10. In combination with a kerf cutting element provided with a flexible draft device adapted to extend at various angles to fixed abutments to produce a horizontal draft on said cutting element and operable normally for feeding the same, a support for said cutting element comprising a base adapted to engage the ground, and elevating means interposed between said base and said cutting element operable by relative horizontal movement of said cutting element andsaid base. l

11. In combination with a kerf cutting element provided with a flexible draft device adapted to extend at various angles to fixed abutments to produce a .horizontal drafton said cutting element and operable normally for feeding the same, a support for said cutting element comprising a base adapted to engage the ground, elevating means interposed between said base and said cutting element operable by relative horizontal movement of said cutting element and said base, and tension means coacting between said base and said cutting element.

12. In combination with a kerf cutting element provided with a flexible draft device adapted to extend at various angles to fixed abutments to produce a horizontal draft on said cutting element and operable normally for feeding the same, a support for said cutting element comprising a base adapted to engage the ground, elevating means interposed between said base and said cutting element operable by relative horizontal movement of said cutting element and said base, and tension means coacting between said base and said cutting element during the initial upward movement of said cutting element.

13. In combination with a lerf cutting element provided with a flexible `draft device adapted to extend at various angles to .fixed abutments to produce a horizontal draft on said cutting element and operable normally7 for feeding the same, a support for said cutting element. comprising a base adapted to engage the ground, elevating means interposed between said base and said cutting element operable by relative horizontal movement of said cutting element and said base, and supplementary actuating devices for controlling the relative movement of said cutting element land said base. a

14:. The combination with a kerf cutting mining machine provided with suitable iiexible feeding and guiding devices for mov- `ing said machine during the cutting operation, of a support for said machine movable with the latter during its cutting operation, annd adapted to raise the latter to cut in a plane higher than its normal cutting plane, said support comprising a base,

and a movable connecting element arranged to produce relative vertical movement between said `base and said 'cutting machine when the latter is moved longitudinally of `said base in co-operation withits flexible feeding element.v

15. The combination with a lierfcutting mining machine provided with suitable flexible feeding and guiding devices for moving said machine during the cuttingoperation, of a support for said machine movable with the latter during its cutting operation, and adapted to raise the latter to cut in a plane higher than its normal cutting plane, said support comprising a base, a movable connecting element arranged to produce relative vertical movement between said base and said cutting machine when the latter is moved longitudinally of said base in cooperation with its flexible feeding element, and supplementary actuating mechanism for controlling the relative movement of said cutting machine and said base.`

16.1n` combination with a kerf cutting member having a substantially horizontal cutting arm, a support for said cutting member comprising a base member and connecting means including supporting devices at a plurality of points between said cut-- ting member and said base member arranged to be simultaneously extended vertically by `relative horizontal movement between said cutting member and said base member, and iiexible draft mechanism mounted on one of said members adapted to be anchored to a fixed abutment and arranged to coact with said lcutting element to move it horizontally respective to said base whereby said cutting element may be raised into various positions with its outt-ing arm maintained in a substantially horizontal plane.

Signed at Chicago, Illinois, this 2nd day of August, 1921.

THOMAS E. PRAY. 

